Thousands of women suffer complications from Essure, a permanent, non-surgical form of birth control, originally created by a small pharmaceutical company called Conceptus before Bayer Healthcare bought the rights to the product.

Essure consists of two coils made of stainless steel with a nickel alloy coating. Each metal coil is covered with small plastic fiber spikes. One metal coil is inserted into each fallopian tube where it is supposed to induce scar tissue that will block the tube completely in about three months. The scar tissue is the body’s reaction to a foreign product and creates a “natural” barrier between the eggs and sperm.

Complications from Essure from Materials

When Conceptus first sought approval for Essure, company executives allegedly talked the FDA into foregoing a label warning that women who had a nickel allergy should undergo a skin test to see if Essure was right for them. Omitting this language gave Essure a large advantage over the competition.

Other complications from Essure may stem from the plastic coating, which consists of PET fibers, a popular plasticizer found in many commercial products due to the material’s ability to resist stains and water. These PET fibers can break down when exposed to the heat created by the human body.

Additionally, a toxin called acetaldehyde emits from PET fibers as they degrade. This chemical also is a byproduct in the metabolism of alcohol and is the reason heavy drinking can cause liver damage. Wood smoke also produces cancer-causing acetaldehyde.

Research shows that complications from Essure also include fibers breaking down and emitting antimony, a semi-metallic chemical element known to be toxic when topically applied to the skin. Eventually, antimony poisoning can mimic arsenic poisoning and pose dangers from heart problems to cell death.

These plasticizers have been found to leach into drinking water from plastic bottles that reach temperatures above 65 degrees. The human body is at least 98.6 degrees. Essure is meant to be permanently in the body once it is implanted.

Complications from Essure can Lead to Hysterectomy

Because Essure is meant to be a permanent form of birth control that instigates scar tissue formation, the process of removing the coils often involves a hysterectomy to remove the entire fallopian tubes.

Women who chose to receive Essure usually were sold on the fact there was no down time with the procedure, which could be performed in their doctor’s office.

Many women feel the price they paid for the ease of the procedure was not worth it. Women often suffer from multiple complications from Essure that can be debilitating for years.

Sometimes an Essure coil will move out of place and perforate the fallopian tube. Women who say they confirmed with their doctor after three months that their fallopian tubes were completely sealed went on to suffer ectopic pregnancies or miscarriages.

Allergic reactions to the coils can produce bloating, pelvic pain, headaches, joint aches, extreme fatigue and other debilitating complications from Essure.